IU Medical School Releases RFP: Here is the Official First Communication

1. Save the taxpayers a ton of money and everyone a lot of time and trouble by agreeing to locate the MULTI-INSTITUTIONAL ACADEMIC
   SCIENCE AND HEALTH RESEARCH CENTER on the campus of the University of Southern Indiana, where everyone knows it should be located.

   __

   • AMEN to that!!!!!!!!!!!

   • That would result in nothing but sprawl which is the last thing we need especially in an area already stimulated by a university. If not downtown or central Evansville you might as well let warrick county foot the bill.

     • R&R

       Sorry, but I disagree with you on this one. There are two approaches to these being located west. First, if the USI Board of Trustees award the land to the IU Medical Center, that is VERY expensive land with a lot of amenities that would serve the new school. The second option would be to place it along University Parkway. Not only would that be a low-impact use of the land along the parkway, it would also spur infrastructure improvements (water and sewer and the INDOT USI/Lloyd overpass just to name the top two) thru the power of the TIF that is out there. Neighbors have already stated that they could be agreeable to a medical focus for the land along the parkway

       • Oh my, both of those scenarios would certainly disrupt natural habitats and spur out of control sprawl while forcing the city to expand its infrastructure at the same time.

         For a city that has major sewer and water bills already, the last thing we need to do is to expand any of that. Same with the roads which if expanded would shift all development farther west.

         If the parkway is going to be developed with something like that, it might as well be the lifestyle center as both would infringe on rural habitats while encouraging surrounding sprawl. I say nothing should be allowed on the parkway. Urban growth boundaries work.

         Evansville had a GOLDEN opportunity to build a nice smart growth lifestyle center where the current west side KOHLs is and as usual they pucked up BIG TIME!

2. Pressanykey

   PS: If not on the actual USI campus (which we all know has LOTS of room and would be a PERFECT fit for the USI campus), then at least put it on University Parkway right next to the USI campus.

   There are thousands of acres along that road, and the land along University Parkway is already a TIF area. So the funding mechanism for the IU med school is already in place, and if the USI proposal calls for development along University Parkway, that will (IMHO) lead to the necessary improvements needed for University Parkway (water and sewer, for example)

   But do you know (IMHO) what one of the problems is for the people hoping the IU med school goes on or near USI? All the folks who have a “dog in the fight” all work for a real estate company. Mayors wife (Carol McClintock-Tucker Realty), president of county commission (Marsha Abell-Tucker Realty), and vice president of county commission (Joe Kiefer-Hahn Realty/Development) are all most likely (either largely or in part) in cahoots in this project proposal.

   Since the Mayor has “his eggs all in the same basket” in promoting the IU med school being located downtown, I will place LARGE amounts of money that the county commission does zero (nada, zilch, not a darn thing) to help USI or Vanderburgh County do a credible job of replying to the RFP with a location OTHER than downtown!

   The TIF along University Parkway would be a great asset for making sure the money necessary for the IU med school would be paid for by those who develops anything near the new med school. We all know the med school would not pay taxes as an educational campus, but the medical facilities and other things that would occur near the new med school would add many millions of dollars into the TIF, which would allow the county commission to bond and pay for certain improvements along University Parkway.

   And I would place even larger wagers that the village idiots at INDOT just might (finally) figure out that the USI/Lloyd overpass needed to be replaced years ago. The addition of the IU med school might get the INDOT people to pony up the money for a proper redesign, especially since University Parkway has a long-range plan to continue past Diamond Avenue and connect to I-64. Cannot you imagine the transformation that would occur along University Parkway? But a scarier part of that question is that can you imagine more traffic than already uses the USI overpass while in the current condition? Egads!

   But does anybody think Marsha Abell is going to rock the boat with Lloyd Winnecke on this? I understand (and partially agree) that the city and county should try to present a unified approach to landing the med school in Vanderburgh County. But does anyone really think that there will be a proposal in response to the RFP that has anything from Evansville and/or Vanderburgh County with anything other than downtown? I think everyone agrees that we need the IU med school to be located in Vanderburgh County, which will provide multiple benefits and dividends to the community. But the amount of “tunnel vision” on the project as it relates to downtown shows a clear pattern of excluding viable sites (like the USI campus or near USI) because of the pie-in-the-sky thought that locating the IU med school downtown will pay magical benefits to “revitalize” downtown Evansville.

   I do not disagree that putting the IU med school downtown would not have certain benefits. But after printing the reading the RFP in great detail, it is pretty clear (IMHO) that the surrounding area contiguous to the new IU med school will be very difficult to develop if the school is located downtown. That is IMHO, but based on the sheer magnitude and enormity of what the IU med school will become over the next several generations, I just cannot imagine how they think putting it downtown will not only fit, but that the folks at IU who will ultimately make the decision on this will be looking at the community support and harmony between the city government and the general population, and this county resident is kinda sick and tired of being told that the elected officials currently in office have the best interests of Evansville and Vanderburgh County at heart.

   Are our local elected folks truly trying to design the best RFP proposal necessary to land the IU med school, or are they more interested in:

   (a) what sort of commission will pay out for land deals that real estate employees negotiate
   (b) what sort of sales will occur for private developers who participate in acquiring land and buildings for the downtown RFP reply
   (c) whose name gets to go on the dedication plaque when the first building is done for the new IU med school
   (d) All The Above

   I hate to be a pessimist, but does anyone have answers other than (d)?

   I’ll be curious to hear other thoughts. Pressanykey started the ball rolling pretty darn good.

3. Actually Classy,if your locals do present an actual RfP that does build for sequestration, which by the way is sustainability the Eastern side of your local metro likely is the better location. The facts that Pressanykey usually points out along the lines of the existing USI campus are also a viable location for actual true sustainability.

   I do also feel that with the right coaching any site as before mentioned could be presented with a “viable” sequestration concept,however the costing involved to recover and build forward with the infrastructure in the inner city core,in a true study,is an over costing driver. That might evolve into a lessened “bang for the buck” in the overall “real process function” to be offered by a southwestern Indiana “medical studies campus facility.”
   The overall actual impact balanced carbon management footprint favors the location to be either close to clinical’s or close to the existing campus on the west side.
   Carbon friendly is also student cost affordable by transportation infrastructures that support accessibility and its drivers in timed point to point interactions. Transportation infrastructure from your downtown is severely challenged,however so is simply crossing town with ease of access required for daily needs.
   Security and safety mentioned,favor the closed campus USI location. BTW, watched your common council meeting tonight,bit of off the cuff here,don’t advertise why you need to put flak jackets on your dog catchers….

   Where,ever this presentation goes build for true sustainability and with accessibility and functional innovation for altitude in forward economic numbers across the board.
   (Build for climate change,period.)
   Just look outside and do study how a couple of the new normal winter weather systems can effect economic conditionals. “Transportation infrastructure throughput improvements.”
   Take the impacts from the bay area on the pacific coast down to the Texas gulf and to what is putting people by the fireplace in “the cortex of the economy in and around Wall Street”. There in Evansville you have some smallish economic storm clouds sitting along your own water front,what ever they bring,and wherever the RfP’s are debated keep this in mind the infrastructure under and supplied to any location must be built climate sequestered. Starting with an new base foundation could be the best cost initiative sustainable.
   I’ll go ahead and add this though. The old downtown foundation infrastructures can be changed for these specifications,heck I could plan it,and easily guide that model. In a competitive acceptable RfP,the costs to adapt the old foundations are prohibitive when the infrastructure issues are brought into viability.

   Project blending assures overall community well being. “more bang for the millions”.

   Every other region on planet earth realizes climate change is here to stay,never mind the storms, begin to think “closed cell environment.” These record storms find they’er thermodynamic power in warming climates, pressure differences, and increased atmospheric water vapor saturation.
   The earths atmosphere is closed cell,its the only one we get, ever got, or ever will have. So.

   Same reason higher humidity makes you more uncomfortable, molecular elemental climate density. Right now 48-53 million Americans are digging or thawing out,what is that impact when the total commerce involved, or not involved is put to measure? How can an improved infrastructure provide effective incremental solutions?
   Rotterdam,was also in the news again lately,actually closing the huge sea wall dike system for the first time since 2007. Great Briton took a hit as well every coastal country in Europe has felt the same saturated upper air stream driven system in the past few days. The global economic trade impact of climate change alone is fully expected to be 65 trillion, over 145 million people relocated by sea level raise by 2035.

   Maybe? Those weather service guys at the NWS and NOAA should bid The government for a raise.

   Maaaybeee? …Check into a career a bit closer to Wall Street,imagine the “speculation’ as well.

   What? would be the economic impact to a group of smart global investors that could actually “put the money,just where, the mouth is.” Climate science friends, “the new traders.”

   Consider that as you present any RfP’s location, moved forward.

   • “Consider that as you present any RfFP’s location, moved forward”

     Absolutely on-target and correct. Unfortunately, also unusual and unused as a concept in southern Indiana.

     I have stated my preferences on USI a number of times, and one of the things I think they have in their favor is the sheer “brain power” that they have in their faculty and students. I would imagine that they are putting their best and brightest on this project, and I also think they are probably asking for assistance from other powerhouse design schools in Indiana. I know for a fact that a number of state and private schools offer assistance in design for RFP’s like this, and the “move forward” concept is something that USI “walks and talks”. Just look at the current beautiful USI campus, and the phenomenal architecture of their buildings over the last 20 years.

     On top of the “brains” that USI can use for developing a response for the RFP, I wonder (not sure, just thinking out loud) if the USI Trustees could actually award/give/donate the necessary land for the IU Medical Center project. Considering how much land will be necessary for this campus, and how USI has almost unlimited availability for growth, to me this seems like the proverbial “ace in the hole” that USI and the Trustees could offer to IU. That would be a smart investment by USI considering the huge return they would get from investing in the land for the medical school.

     Let me know your thoughts on that one.

     • Well Classy, Thats one of the most viable plans I’ve heard of,from anyone there. In the vision one presents to the Board of trustees,having an incrementally sustainable individual and sequestered carbon balance with each student,and University employee,could be the winning plan. Balance forward applied, if offered by the unique design elevation I conceptualize. This would provide best infrastructure costing through balanced and openly evolving earth sciences which also can be moved forward with a Southwestern Indiana application. Why not blend all medical sciences,planet sciences,and engineering models and gain altitude from the needed expansion of forward planet sciences to move into carbon sequestration, as well.

       I absolutely despise the catch word collaboration, or some of the other uses of that(yuck!),however the combined development of one, does force direction of the other,if only by the advanced environmental systems available soon,if not by now.
       I see a model that provides carbon balanced access timing to campus facilities.
       I see a University facilities management matrix that has an open end to incremental evolving technical systems to manage the total footprint forward 24/7. Thus, done right safety/security evolves into a non issue.
       By the mere application of the model I have in mind,the security and well being of the facility,its staff and its students would be balanced by the infrastructures accessibility automatically per environmental conditionals as sensed for incremental balanced sequestered best practices forward.

       Classes and living and thriving closer together, the concept is no longer “Go “there” for class” the concept provides live and learn “here”. Best travel infrastructure would be your feet, and a interesting,clean,safe place to put them moving forward through any given day.
       The whole thing an advanced application worthy of complex study and planning for other evolving advanced educational systems globally.
       Simply put an healthy,easily accessible, best cost, best carbon sequestered campus set for growth and altitude transition towards the expected horizons of its student body as they move into the human life stream as presented by this century.

       Sounds distant? not really,my Dads been on the planet nine decades,and wonders what the hell 2050 will look like with 3-4 feet of extra global sea level,and the tides that go with that,us with crumby ACA health care and a national deficit that won’t even be paid off when we can “beam” them the money! With a Constitution amended so many time it will take a damned warp drive too budge the SOB an inch at near zero gravity.

       Back to the present,sorry. The campus can be built capable of managing its whole carbon foot print regionally,”with surplus assets” actually available to its surrounding communities base infrastructure through energy,clean water and on going Climate Science Water management and Research, on site.

       The medical implications of climate change and clean water management forward is globally huge. Fresh water supplies salinity,continental aquifer depredation,Storm water management(solved CSO issues,no fines),sea level rise,sea water bio-chemical elemental balances (polar ice,glacial incursions),sustainable weather emergency management (logistics and commerce infrastructures.) Drought management,agricultural impacts,chemistry of that forward (Farming forward)

       Logistical global disaster management,through cooperative research (mass population migrations)

       Think of just the last Pacific cyclonic system,and its impact in the Philippines. The worst situational aftermath medically was the simple lack of sustainable clean water systems along with lack of climate controlled building environmental systems.

       Pure bio-medical planet sciences applications..What a Medical student must have to support the demands of the new planet science infrastructures moved forward.

       Why not identify,plan,build and sustain a southwestern Indiana campus that does all that first,then turns its graduates loose into the century to treat,teach,train others to sustain the planet and its life forces for the next millenium.

       My take I suppose.

4. Slam dunk for Warrick County.

5. Right here is the perfect layout, in the perfect location with room for expansion to the North and Northwest.

   http://historicevansville.com/image.php?id=educational%2FOld+Central+-+aerial+%281956%29.jpg

   • That area of downtown is exactly what I though would be most beneficial. It’s close enough to bars, restaurants. and condo’s for the students and professors. There are also many blocks over in the MLK/LLoyd area that could be dedicated to the school. That little pocket of downtown is overlooked and ignored. From the YMCA to the Lloyd looks like a disaster area.

     • Did you read the RFP? It doesn’t sound as if you did.

     • Exactly. So here’s my question: how do you talk some sense into the city? That’s the problem.

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